Things to Do in Lawrenceville

Ron Carroll's fascination with helicopters began in Vietnam, when the aircraft transported him and his fellow infantry through the jungles to the front lines. Two Purple Hearts, nearly 20 years, and a stint in the publishing industry later, Carroll happened upon a copy of Flying magazine and his interest quickly rekindled. He continued with flying lessons, deepening his desire to become a helicopter pilot.

Today, Carroll possesses a Gold Seal CFI certification from the Federal Aviation Administration and helms a team of three pilots with more than 25,000 combined hours of flight experience. With a fleet comprising Robinson R22 and R44 helicopters—as well as a TruFlite H flight simulator that lets aspiring pilots practice operating a helicopter while singing and without leaving the ground—the team has trained throngs of airmen, including governor Sonny Perdue.

At Unique Events of Atlanta's gatherings, adults convene for evenings of interactive theatrics, gaming, and group activities. The staff's creative scribes conjure up a theme to serve as the plot of interactive murder-mystery dinners, where participants discover clues over dinner and drinks, evoking their inner gumshoes to identify villains and summon orphaned saxophone riffs left over from the '80s. Other events include casino nights, where card lovers can compare poker faces, and old-fashion game nights, where friendly competition ensues over Monopoly boards, Uno decks, Twister mats, and Xbox Dance Central screens. The event extraordinaires also host marriage proposals, anniversaries, and reunions with repaired lawnmowers.:m]]

Competitive angler Rob Jordan pilots year-round adventures on Lake Lanier, a 38,000-acre haven for blueblack herring, shad, bluegill, and trophy-winning magnum spotted bass. He and groups of passengers embark on guided trips aboard his Triton 21 HP bass boat equipped with Lowrance HDS sonar that spots schools of fish in the depths and shipwrecks' bounties of free plywood. The captain explains the craft's technology and helps his charges reel in squirmy swimmers the old-fashioned way as well. He also provides all rods and gear as well as drinks, snacks, and a digital camera to document catches levitating from the pier.

Multicolored globes illuminate the wood skating floor of Skate Along USA, along with the skaters strolling rhythmically to high-energy dance tunes. Throughout the week the Skate Along USA DJs look over the floor from the elevated sound booth, where they select songs for skating sessions and sound effects for the rocket-skating mishaps of cartoon coyotes. On certain nights the DJs will host themed playlists including Top 40 tracks from the realms of hip-hop and R & B, kid-friendly afternoon playlists, and late-night tunes for adults age 18 and older. An onsite pro shop vends skating accessories, including glowing items for black-light skating, and the facility's internet café and arcade gives skaters a break from the arena's centripetal force.

Nestled in the high branches of Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center, a network of ropes, ladders, and bridges invites amateur adventurers to scurry across their lengths. Although Treetop Quest’s ropes courses hover as high as 55 feet above the ground, guests stay safe thanks to a belay system that’s impossible to detach at canopy level. During self-guided adventures, they encounter more than 70 obstacles, whooshing along ziplines, scaling rope nets, and carefully crossing suspension and monkey bridges. Before guests ascend through the branches, instructors issue them harnesses and gloves and give them a thorough safety briefing. The courses vary in difficulty and height to accommodate all experience levels and ages, allowing visitors as young as 4 to enjoy a challenge, even if it’s just trying to sweet-talk a squirrel into sharing his stash of Corn Nuts.

Amid the excitement, Treetop Quest educates patrons on the surrounding environment through plaques and info boards at each course level. The courses operate sustainably to respect their arboreal hosts; the structures are treatment-free and don’t puncture the trees in any way.